A Politico-Psychological Analysis of Gun Control Attitudes

Report generated

January 15, 2026

1 Study Characteristics

1.1 Items: Gun Control Attitudes

  1. Repeal all gun control laws and affirm the right to keep and bear arms (National Platform of the Libertarian Party, 2000)
  2. Gun ownership (Everett, 2013)
  3. Gun control laws are not nearly strict enough (Inbar, Pizzaro, and Bloom, 2008)

All items were asked in 9-point scale ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 9 (Strongly Agree).

1.2 Samples

N=1500

To conduct a exploratory and a confirmatory large surveys during the general election, we hired a professional survey firm (SSI, a US-based market research company that recruits participants from a panel of 7,139,027 American citizens; more information can be found at www.surveysampling.com (now https://www.dynata.com/) to recruit a nationally representative sample of 1,500 Americans (50.7% women) who completed study materials during the general election from August 16-September 9, 2016. (Information about sampling and exclusion criteria is included in the Supplement). The age distribution was as follows: 18-24 (12.9%), 25-34 (17.6%), 35-44 (17.5%), 45-54 (19.5%), 55-65 (15.6%) and older than 65 (16.9%). The ethnic breakdown was: White/European American (82.5%), Black/African American (7.7%), Latino (5.9%) and “Other” (4.0%). Concerning religion, 67.6% identified as Christian, 17.1% as religiously affiliated but not Christian, and 15.3% as Atheist/Agnostic. With respect to education 35.1% indicated “high school only or lower,” 31.4 % indicated “some college,” and 33.6% indicated having received a “Bachelor” or “Graduate” degree. 2424 participants were directed to the survey,1885 of which finished the survey (attrition rate 22%).

We followed recommendations to minimize the problem of careless responding in online studies. Specifically, we employed 10 random attention questions and time controls to check for data quality. There were 385 participants who failed more than one attention check or finished the survey in under ~22 minutes and were therefore excluded from the sample. For the 1500 participants who successfully finished the survey, completion time was 67 minutes on average (MD: 51min).

N=2119

Also through SSI we also recruited 2,119 American adults (21.5% women), who completed study materials from August 20-September 13, 2016. (Information about sampling and exclusion criteria is included in the Supplement). Age was distributed as follows: 18-24 (9.1%), 25-34 (13.8%), 35-44 (11.4%), 45-54 (2.7%), 55-65(3.6%), 65 and older (59.3%). The ethnic breakdown was: White/European American (85.9%), Black/African American (5.1%), Latino (4.1%), and “Other” (5.0%). In terms of religion, 70.7% identified as Christian, 15.7% as religiously affiliated but not Christian, and 13.7% as Atheist/Agnostic. With respect to educational status, 16.2% chose “high school or lower,” 40.4% reported “some college” and 43.4% had attained a “Bachelor” or “Graduate” degree. The median income category was $50,000-$74,999. 3425 participants were directed to the survey, 2,262 of which finished the survey (attrition rate 22 %).

We followed recommendations to minimize the problem of careless responding in online studies (Meade & Craig, 2012). Specifically, we employed 10 random attention questions and time controls to check for data quality. There were 543 participants who failed more than one attention check or finished the survey in under ~22 minutes and were therefore excluded from the sample. For the 2,119 participants who successfully finished the survey, completion time was 92 minutes on average (MD: 57min).

2 Descriptives

2.1 Means, SD, Range, & SE

Table 1: Descriptives
Descriptives for Gun Control Attitudes Items
vars n mean sd median min max range se
Repeal.GC 1 1500 5.24 2.93 5 1 9 8 0.08
Gun.Ownership 2 1500 4.30 2.85 4 1 9 8 0.07
GC.Not.Strict 3 1500 5.52 3.01 6 1 9 8 0.08
Mean 4 1500 5.02 2.53 5 1 9 8 0.07

2.2 Proportions

Figure 1: Proportion of each response categories for Gun Control Attitudes Items

2.3 Distributions

Figure 2: Distribution of reponses for Gun Control Attitudes Items

2.4 Correlations

Figure 3: Bivariate Spearmans’ correlations for Gun Control Attitudes
Figure 4: Bivariate Spearmans’ correlations for Gun Control Attitudes
Figure 5: Correlation Matrix of Gun Control Attitudes items, Spearman’s rank correlations

3 Demographics

3.1 Social Class

Figure 6: Gun Control Attitudesas grouped by SES


Figure 7: Raincloud Plots showing Gun Control Attitudes grouped by Social Class


Note on the Raincloud Plots

  • Statistical summary (top): Welch’s t-test (or ANOVA) results, effect size, confidence intervals, p-values, and sample sizes are shown above each plot.
  • Bayesian analysis (bottom): Log Bayes factor and credible intervals are reported below each plot.


Table 2: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by SES
Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by SES
SES N Mean SD
Poor 38 -0.17 0.98
Lower Middle Class 298 -0.01 0.99
Middle Middle Class 679 -0.11 0.99
Upper Middle Class 395 0.16 1.02
Rich 90 0.23 0.93

3.2 Gender



Figure 8: Gun Control Attitudesas grouped by Gender


Figure 9: Raincloud Plots showing Gun Control Attitudes grouped by Gender


Table 3: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Gender
Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Gender
Gender N Mean SD
Male 740 -0.15 1.00
Female 760 0.15 0.97

3.3 Age



Figure 10: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Age


Figure 11: Raincloud Plots showing Gun Control Attitudes grouped by Age


Table 4: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Age
Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Age
Age N Mean SD
18-24 years 193 0.01 0.94
25-34 years 264 0.16 0.98
35-44 years 263 0.07 0.98
45-54 years 292 -0.02 1.00
55-64 years 234 0.08 1.03
65+ 254 -0.29 1.01

3.4 Education



Table 5: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Education


Figure 12: Raincloud Plots showing Gun Control Attitudes grouped by Education


Table 6: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Education
Education N Mean SD
Less than High School 51 -0.06 0.95
High School 475 -0.14 0.94
Some College 471 -0.05 1.04
Bachelor 310 0.15 1.01
Graduate 193 0.24 0.98

3.5 Income Levels



Figure 13: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Income Levels


Figure 14: Raincloud Plots showing Gun Control Attitudes grouped by Income Levels


Table 7: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Income Levels
Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Income Levels
Income Levels N Mean SD
$15,000-$24,999 180 -0.12 1.01
$25,000-$34,999 176 -0.07 1.03
$50,000-$74,999 292 -0.05 0.97
$35,000-$49,999 227 0.02 0.99
Less than $15,000 178 0.04 0.98
$75,000-$99,999 192 0.06 1.05
$100,000-$149,999 160 0.07 1.01
$150,000 + 95 0.17 0.97

3.6 Ethnicity



Figure 15: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Ethnicity

Note on the Okabe-Ito color palette The Okabe-Ito color palette (seen above) is a set of colorblind-friendly categorical colors available in R. We are using this palette for graphs with non-ordered variables (e.g., groups, categories) for accessibility.

Figure 16: Raincloud Plots showing Gun Control Attitudes grouped by Ethnicity


Table 8: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Ethnicity
Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Ethnicity
Ethnicity N Mean SD
Caucasian/European origin 1237 -0.07 1.01
Black/African American 115 0.50 0.69
Latino 88 0.28 0.88
Asian/Pacific Islander 29 0.31 1.04
Native American 13 -0.49 0.92
Other 18 0.03 1.02

3.7 Occupation



Figure 17: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Occupation


Figure 18: Raincloud Plots showing Gun Control Attitudes grouped by Occupation


Table 9: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Occupation
Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Occupation
Occupation N Mean SD
Employed 768 0.06 1.00
Retired 268 -0.14 1.00
Unemployed 146 0.11 0.95
Parent 104 -0.22 0.98
Disabled 98 -0.21 1.04
Student 85 0.23 1.02
Full-time caregiver 31 0.08 0.87

3.8 Area



Figure 19: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Area


Figure 20: Raincloud Plots showing Gun Control Attitudes grouped by Area


Table 10: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Area
Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Area
Area N Mean SD
Urban 955 0.15 0.97
Rural 545 -0.26 1.00



3.9 Religious Affiliation



Figure 21: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Religious Affiliation


Figure 22: Raincloud Plots showing Gun Control Attitudes grouped by Religious Affiliation


Table 11: Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Religion
Gun Control Attitudes as grouped by Religious Affiliation
Religious Affiliation N Mean SD
Christian 1014 -0.15 0.97
Jewish 52 0.66 0.97
Muslim 9 0.08 1.00
Atheist/Agnostic 230 0.36 1.03
No religion 195 0.15 0.91


3.10 Section Summary

(Coming soon!)

4 Political Behavior

4.1 Political Orientation

Figure 23: Political Orientation



Figure 24: Political Orientation



Table 12: Models with SRPI
  Political Orientation Social Political Orientation Economic Political Orientation Composite Political Orientation
Predictors Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p
(Intercept) 5.31 5.20 – 5.41 <0.001 4.93 4.81 – 5.05 <0.001 5.48 5.37 – 5.59 <0.001 5.24 5.14 – 5.34 <0.001
Gun Control Attitudes -1.35 -1.46 – -1.25 <0.001 -1.48 -1.60 – -1.36 <0.001 -1.39 -1.51 – -1.28 <0.001 -1.41 -1.51 – -1.31 <0.001
Observations 1500 1500 1500 1500
R2 / R2 adjusted 0.304 / 0.304 0.288 / 0.288 0.280 / 0.280 0.338 / 0.338



Table 13: Models of Ideo_SP_JJ and SRPI_CM, and Gun Control Attitudes Age + Inc + Religiosity + Edu
  Political Orientation Social Political Orientation Economic Political Orientation Composite Political Orientation
Predictors Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p
(Intercept) 5.06 4.63 – 5.48 <0.001 4.61 4.15 – 5.08 <0.001 5.20 4.72 – 5.68 <0.001 4.96 4.56 – 5.36 <0.001
Gun.Control -0.44 -0.48 – -0.40 <0.001 -0.45 -0.49 – -0.41 <0.001 -0.50 -0.54 – -0.45 <0.001 -0.46 -0.50 – -0.43 <0.001
Age 0.18 0.12 – 0.24 <0.001 0.18 0.12 – 0.25 <0.001 0.19 0.12 – 0.26 <0.001 0.18 0.13 – 0.24 <0.001
Income 0.09 0.04 – 0.14 0.001 0.00 -0.06 – 0.06 0.948 0.14 0.08 – 0.20 <0.001 0.08 0.03 – 0.13 0.003
Religiosity 0.27 0.24 – 0.31 <0.001 0.39 0.35 – 0.43 <0.001 0.18 0.14 – 0.22 <0.001 0.28 0.25 – 0.31 <0.001
Education 0.01 -0.09 – 0.11 0.857 -0.03 -0.14 – 0.08 0.604 0.19 0.07 – 0.30 0.001 0.06 -0.04 – 0.15 0.256
Observations 1500 1500 1500 1500
R2 / R2 adjusted 0.429 / 0.427 0.453 / 0.451 0.371 / 0.369 0.474 / 0.472

4.2 Religiosity



Figure 25: Religiosity



4.3 Religiosity & Political Orientation

Figure 26: Religiosity - Correlation Matrix



4.4 Candidate Preferences



Figure 27: Candidate Preferences



Table 14: Candidate Preferences (centered)
Candidate Preferences and Gun Control Attitudes [centered]
Candidate Preference N Mean SD
Donald Trump 444 -0.70 0.76
Hillary Clinton 371 0.66 0.72
Bernie Sanders 362 0.53 0.85
Ted Cruz 122 -0.55 0.89
Jeb Bush 83 -0.05 0.91
Gary Johnson 68 -0.30 0.79
Rand Paul 44 -0.65 0.82



Table 15: Candidate Preferences (raw means)
Candidate Preferences and Gun Control Attitudes [raw means]
Candidate Preferences N Mean SD Range
Donald Trump 444 -0.70 0.76 1-9
Hillary Clinton 371 0.66 0.72 1-9
Bernie Sanders 362 0.53 0.85 1-9
Ted Cruz 122 -0.55 0.89 1-9
Jeb Bush 83 -0.05 0.91 1-9
Gary Johnson 68 -0.30 0.79 1-9
Rand Paul 44 -0.65 0.82 1-9



4.5 Party Preferences


Figure 28: Party Preferences



Table 16: Party Preferences
Party Preferences and Gun Control Attitudes [centered]
Party Preference N Mean SD
Tea Party 68 -1.14 0.58
Constitution Party 14 -1.09 0.52
Republican Party 508 -0.51 0.83
Libertarian Party 100 -0.37 0.94
Don't know 90 0.03 0.86
None 120 0.08 0.86
Democratic Party 560 0.62 0.81
Green Party 40 0.70 0.86



Table 17: Party Preferences (raw means)
Party Preferences and Gun Control Attitudes [raw means]
Party Preferences N Mean SD Range
Tea Party 68 -1.14 0.58 1-9
Constitution Party 14 -1.09 0.52 1-9
Republican Party 508 -0.51 0.83 1-9
Libertarian Party 100 -0.37 0.94 1-9
Don't know 90 0.03 0.86 1-9
None 120 0.08 0.86 1-9
Democratic Party 560 0.62 0.81 1-9
Green Party 40 0.70 0.86 1-9



4.6 Voting Preferences

Table 18: Voting Preferences
  2016 [Trump vs. Clinton] 2016 [Trump vs. Clinton] + Supporters 2012 [Romney vs. Obama] 2008 [McCain vs. Obama]
Predictors Odds Ratios CI p Odds Ratios CI p Odds Ratios CI p Odds Ratios CI p
(Intercept) 0.02 0.01 – 0.03 <0.001 0.02 0.01 – 0.03 <0.001 0.07 0.05 – 0.10 <0.001 0.10 0.07 – 0.14 <0.001
Gun Control Attitudes 2.22 2.04 – 2.43 <0.001 2.21 2.03 – 2.41 <0.001 1.75 1.64 – 1.87 <0.001 1.64 1.54 – 1.74 <0.001
Observations 1103 1148 1236 1206
R2 Tjur 0.478 0.470 0.313 0.268



Referring to plots in grid: Colors may be off - please advise.



Figure 29: Gun Control Attitudes & Voting Preferences

4.7 Party Identity



Figure 30: Party Identity



Figure 31: Party Identity and Voting



Table 19: Party Identity & Voting
Donald Trump Hilary Clinton
Strong Republican 282 7
Republican 166 24
Leaning Republican 58 7
Independent 17 16
Leaning Democrat 10 65
Democrat 27 129
Strong Democrat 4 323

4.8 Voting & Party Identity

Figure 32: Predicted, Voting & Party Identity



Table 20: Supporters
  2016 [Clinton vs. Trump] 2016 [Trump vs. Clinton] + Supporters
Predictors Odds Ratios CI p Odds Ratios CI p
(Intercept) 0.46 0.24 – 0.87 0.018 0.41 0.22 – 0.77 0.005
Party Identity (dichotomous) 0.01 0.01 – 0.02 <0.001
Party Identity (dichotomous) 1.89 1.67 – 2.15 <0.001 1.84 1.64 – 2.07 <0.001
Gun Control Attitudes 0.01 0.01 – 0.02 <0.001
Observations 1103 1148
R2 Tjur 0.789 0.765



4.9 Likeability

4.10 Trump’s Likebility


Figure 33: Trump’s Likeability



4.11 Clinton’s Likebility


Figure 34: Clinton’s Likeability



4.12 Johnson’s Likeability


Figure 35: Johnson’s Likeability


5 Politico-Psychological correlates of Gun Control Attitudes



5.1 Ideologies and Partisanship


Figure 36: Correlates of Gun Control Attitudes



5.2 Populism, Nationalism, Nativism, and Patriotism


Figure 37: Correlates - Populism



5.3 Political Psychology


Figure 38: Correlates - Political Psychology



5.4 Social Justice Concerns, Empathy, and Prejudice


Figure 39: Correlates - Social Concerns



5.5 Values


Figure 40: Correlates - Values



5.6 Pot-Pourri


Figure 41: Correlates - Constructs



5.7 Positive and Negative correlates of Gun Control Attitudes


Figure 42: Correlates - Positive & significant associations



Figure 43: Correlates - Negative & significant associations

5.8 Section Summary


Table 21: Table of models 1
  Gun Control Attitudes Gun Control Attitudes Gun Control Attitudes Gun Control Attitudes Gun Control Attitudes
Predictors Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p
(Intercept) 7.66 7.33 – 7.98 <0.001 9.64 9.23 – 10.04 <0.001 5.16 4.66 – 5.67 <0.001 10.29 9.75 – 10.84 <0.001 8.71 8.22 – 9.20 <0.001
Social Dominance Orientation -0.70 -0.79 – -0.62 <0.001
Right-Wing Authoritarianism -0.89 -0.96 – -0.81 <0.001
System Justification -0.03 -0.13 – 0.07 0.568
Economic System Justification -1.09 -1.20 – -0.98 <0.001
Gender-specific System Justification -0.68 -0.77 – -0.59 <0.001
Observations 1500 1500 1500 1500 1500
R2 / R2 adjusted 0.160 / 0.160 0.266 / 0.266 0.000 / -0.000 0.201 / 0.200 0.134 / 0.134


Table 22: Table of models 2
  Gun Control Attitudes Gun Control Attitudes Gun Control Attitudes Gun Control Attitudes Gun Control Attitudes
Predictors Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p Estimates CI p
(Intercept) 8.59 8.01 – 9.17 <0.001 9.16 7.41 – 10.91 <0.001 5.16 4.66 – 5.67 <0.001 10.29 9.75 – 10.84 <0.001 8.71 8.22 – 9.20 <0.001
SDO7_Dominance -0.48 -0.68 – -0.29 <0.001
SDO7_AntiEgal -0.82 -0.98 – -0.66 <0.001
SDO7_Dominance:SDO7_AntiEgal 0.09 0.05 – 0.13 <0.001
RWA_Agression -0.33 -0.74 – 0.07 0.103
RWA_Conventionalism -0.48 -0.94 – -0.01 0.044
RWA_Submission 0.16 -0.36 – 0.68 0.539
RWA_Agression:RWA_Conventionalism 0.02 -0.06 – 0.10 0.611
RWA_Agression:RWA_Submission -0.04 -0.14 – 0.05 0.382
RWA_Conventionalism:RWA_Submission -0.00 -0.10 – 0.10 0.956
RWA_Agression:RWA_Conventionalism:RWA_Submission 0.00 -0.02 – 0.02 0.964
SJ_Gen -0.03 -0.13 – 0.07 0.568
SJ_Eco -1.09 -1.20 – -0.98 <0.001
SJ_Gender -0.68 -0.77 – -0.59 <0.001
Observations 1500 1500 1500 1500 1500
R2 / R2 adjusted 0.183 / 0.181 0.277 / 0.273 0.000 / -0.000 0.201 / 0.200 0.134 / 0.134


Figure 44: Interaction with facets of SDO



Table 23: Linear Regression
Observations 1500
Dependent variable facet
Type OLS linear regression
F(1,1498) 285.65
R² 0.16
Adj. R² 0.16
Est. S.E. t val. p
(Intercept) 7.66 0.17 45.82 0.00
SDO -0.70 0.04 -16.90 0.00
Standard errors: OLS